Education

Recently, several local media reported about the annual Student Spend survey, conducted by Student Village, which found that South African students spend on average R3,768 per month, not including tuition fees. Only 14% of student spending is funded from part-time work by the students. Further 10% comes from bursaries or sponsorships, which leaves the bulk of 76% of student spending is financed by parents. ... more

Uniforms are compulsory in all state schools and in most private schools in South Africa. As a result, it is not unusual to see parents wondering around the school yard at collection time, dazed and confused, trying to pinpoint their little one among all the other similar-looking first graders. ... more

The most useful assembly tools to have around the home In today’s Information Age, many people are far more technology-orientated than DIY-orientated, and don’t have time to do their own home renovations, basic plumbing or electrical work. This is to say that whereas we can programme a LCD tv, we nonetheless rely heavily on the trade industry to help us with our home handy-work. However, every household should have a standard inventory of entry level assembly tools for the easy fixer-uppers that don’t require the assistance of your local handyman. ... more

Ranking educational institutions isn't quite as easy alloting points to your favourite Apple iPod touch cover colour: indeed, ranking systems are based on highly complex calculations that take a wide variety of variables into consideration. South Africa has no tertiary education ranking system such as those you’d find in the United States or the United Kingdom, so ranking of the country’s academic institutions is based on op ... more

The 2010 matric results in South Africa were better than expected, with 67.8% of pupils passing the 2010 exams, up 7.1% from the results achieved in 2009.

The dramatic improvement in the matric pass rate has come as a surprise to many; after all, the 2010 generation of 12th graders lost many school days in June due to the Fifa world cup, and then again in September because of a teachers’ strike.

There are stories of Herculean efforts to compensate for the hurdles thrown the 2010 matrics’ way. ... more